


lost in translation

by Shorty



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-28
Updated: 2014-01-28
Packaged: 2018-01-10 08:10:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1157197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shorty/pseuds/Shorty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Anyway – I have something way more important to ask you than any small talk.  When do I get to meet your girlfriend?”<br/>.<br/>Or, somehow along the way Rei leads his brother into thinking he's dating Nagisa.</p>
            </blockquote>





	lost in translation

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so in this Rei's brother name is Rie, which I chose because it is a girls name and also incredibly close to Rei's own name. Also, even though i don't write all of Rie's emails out doesn't mean they aren't there - obviously there were plenty more emails between the brothers, I just felt like writing them all out wouldn't do much for the story (AKA I'm lazy). Finally, this is based off of [this tumblr post](http://mokeomotegi.tumblr.com/post/74643865560). To say I flubbed it up big time would be an understatement, but honestly by the time I noticed I was to lazy to go back.

**To:** Rie-Ryugazaki

 **From:**   RyugazakiRei

Hello,

How are you?  Are your classes going well?  You should tell me more about them – I want to be prepared when I go to university in a few years!

Anyway, you will be surprised to know that I joined the swim team this week.  The annoying classmate I told you about finally wheedled me into it.  Actually, I suppose it was one of my upperclassmen who made me decide to join – his swimming technique is amazingly beautiful.

Unfortunately, my own swimming is nowhere near as beautiful.  After making a fool of myself, not only in front of my fellow teammates but in front of the entire Samezuka swim team (Samezuka being, of course, the swimming powerhouse school in our town) for days, I was finally successful in finding a swimming style I can do. 

In fact, according to my teammates, it is even one of the hardest styles to swim!  This would, admittedly, be a bit more of an accomplishment if I could also swim other styles, but the one I can do – the butterfly, as it would happen – is quite beautiful, and though I am in no way happy with how I swim it, as there is much room for improvement, but still, it is a great feeling to finally be able to swim with a level of competency!

Sorry for not writing you earlier, but the swimming has taken up a lot of my time!  It’s much more demanding than track, at least for a beginner like me.

Hope things are going as well for you,  
Rei

.

 **To:**   RyugazakiRei

 **From:**   Rie-Ryugazaki

Rei,

Classes are going great, of course.  I’d tell you more about them, but I don’t have much time to write right now – even though they’re going great, they’re practically running me dry!

It’s great that my baby brother can finally swim.  I can’t say I was ever that great a swimmer myself, but you were always pretty bad at it.

Hopefully that annoying classmate of yours tones it down – it would be nice for you to have teammates you were friends with.

I’ll write to you more on my classes later tonight – I’m sure you’ll enjoy hearing about my chemistry class!

…

 **To:**   Rie-Ryugazaki

 **From:**   RyugazakiRei

Rie,

The training camp I told you I would be one this weekend went pretty well – my swimming greatly improved and I feel as though our team bonded greatly.

The only bad thing about it was, off course, the fact that I nearly drowned.

There!  That should keep you from saying I am boring for at least a month.

Though I may sound joking in this matter, but I truly feel awful for it.  You see, the whole ordeal was my fault, and I unintentionally dredged up bad feelings for my upperclassmen.  If it wasn’t for Nagisa – oh, I never mentioned Nagisa’s name before, but Nagisa is the ‘annoying classmate’ I spoke of before – and my other upperclassmen, we would have drowned.

 I still feel awful, but my teammates were quite wonderful about the ordeal, and haven’t really made me feel guilty about it.  Especially Nagisa – though I may have described Nagisa as annoying in the past, in truth my classmate is very kind, in a unique – and yes, annoying – way.

Like I said, though, my swimming improved, so I suppose in the end it was all worth it.

Hopefully all is going well for you.  
Rei

.

 **To:**   RyugazakiRei

 **From:**   Rie-Ryugazaki

You letter sounded far to calm for someone who almost drowned!  It’s a good thing you didn’t though.  If you weren’t around, mom and dad might want even more from me – we all know you’re the one they’ve placed the most in the future on.  You’re going to be something important.  I’m just going to be a doctor.

(That was a joke.  You should laugh.  Really, though, they do expect you to be something awesome.  I’m pretty sure we’d all be devastated if you’d died.

That was another joke.  Not that we wouldn’t feel devastated – the joke was that we would be devastated because we’d miss you just because we expect you to do well in life. 

I should probably worry about my jokes if I have to explain them.  They’d probably make more sense in person, when I could use my tone of voice to make the joke.)

As you can probably tell, I miss you.  Anyway, congratulations on not dying.

I’m glad you’re becoming better friends with your teammates.

…

 **To:**   Rie-Ryugazaki

 **From:**   RyugazakiRei

Rie!

Although none of us won in our individual races, we competed in a relay and are going on to regionals!

I was definitely not the best of us, but thanks to the efforts of my teammates we managed to place!

I can’t write much more – Nagisa practically forced me to a celebration party.

(I don’t think Nagisa invited our upperclassmen, but as I have told you before, they have been having troubles with a past classmate, and thus I don’t think either of them would feel up for a party, even though we are all obviously excited over our win.)

…

 **To:**   Rie-Ryugazaki

 **From:**   RyugazakiRei

I went and confronted the teammate that my teammates used to swim with.

I will admit I lost my temper a bit.  However, the constant talk of this boy – Rin – made me feel angry.

(I will admit, though I don’t want to, that it was mainly Nagisa’s non-stop talking of Rin that got to me.)

Anyway, I suppose I have been negligent in asking after your studies.  How are things going?  Are you getting along better with your roommate? 

…

 **To:**   Rie-Ryugazaki

 **From:**   RyugazakiRei

Rie,

Today, my team won the regional relay.

However, we were promptly disqualified.  I suppose it was partially my fault – after I all, I was the one who suggested in the first place that Rin take my place as the butterfly swimmer.

I was a little sad to suggest this, as you can imagine.  I was looking forward to swimming with my teammates again (do not dare write what I know you will.  I was looking forward to swimming with _all_ of them).  However, I do not regret my actions at all.  They all were extremely happy, even with our disqualification, and they seem to have made up with each other, something that brings even me, an outsider to their troubles, happiness.

Admittedly, and quite selfishly, I also enjoyed their thanks and praise.  I do not view what I did as much of a sacrifice – I will get to swim with them all again, and now, I will also be able to swim with Rin (I begrudgingly admit his butterfly is far superior than mine – maybe I will be able to convince him to give me pointers?).  Still, they thanked me, and it made me feel much more a part of the team than I have in the past – even without having swimming!

(And yes, because I know you will ask:  I did enjoy Nagisa’s praises the most.

I know you’re laughing at me, and ask you to stop.)

…

 **To:**   Rie-Ryugazaki

 **From:**   RyugazakiRei

I know this is going to sound completely ridiculous, but I swear, I am  wrapped tightly around Nagisa’s finger.

(I know you are laughing and thinking ‘I told you so’, but please at least refrain from it until you have read my letter.)

Nagisa has done much for me – if it wasn’t for my classmate, I would not have made the friends I have or have experienced so much.  I am, to simply put it, much happier than I was before my ‘annoying classmate’ made me join the swim team.

I can’t believe how Nagisa has managed to turn my admiration and gratitude around so that I am so tightly wrapped around Nagisa’s finger that I will dow whatever Nagisa says (honestly, the things I give into for Nagisa are embarrassing – just today Nagisa managed to talk me into karaoke simply by saying he thought I had a beautiful voice!). 

It is, to put it simply, embarrassing!  I try not to allow Nagisa to wheedle me into doing things, but it never works.  I am of course eternally grateful to Nagisa – even I will admit I did not have many (or any) friends before the swim team came into my life – but it is sad how well Nagisa is able to manipulate me.

I am sure you’re tired of hearing me talk about my issues!  When do finals start?  Didn’t you say you would be able to visit sometime after they ended?  Hopefully it is soon – I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!

…

 **To:**   Rie-Ryugazaki

 **From:**   RyugazakiRei

I can’t wait to see you again!  It will be great to have you back home, even if it is only for a short time.  Your train is coming in at noon, right?  I’ll meet you – I will be in the area anyway.

Mother, father, and I all look forward to seeing you.  Hopefully your finals go well – you only have chemistry left, right?  And we all know you’ll do amazing at that!

…

Rei looked at his watch for what felt like the hundredth time.

He had been running late – through what he’d love to say was no fault of his own, but he honestly couldn’t blame the entire thing on his blond haired friend, as he too had lost track of time and then had allowed himself to be slowed down by Nagisa-kun’s begging to come with him.

Of course, he stood no chance against Nagisa, and had eventually given in, making him only a minute late for meeting his brother.

Nagisa had, as soon as they’d reached the station, hurried away to get food, so now Rei was standing by himself, watching as the trains occupants came out and looking for the blue hair that would signal his brother’s arrival.

“Hey, Rei!”  he hears his brother before he sees him, and is wrapped up in a hug before he can respond. 

“Hello, Rie.” He says as his brother pulls away, and he feels his smile widening.  “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you!”

“I know.  University’s fun, but it’ll be nice to see you guys again.”  Rie answers, picking up his bags from where he dropped them on the ground to hug Rei.  “Anyway – I have something way more important to ask you than any small talk.  When do I get to meet your girlfriend?”

Rei chokes on nothing at his brother’s words.  “What?”

 “You mean you never asked her out?”  Rie responds, looking disappointed.  “Come on!  After all you talked to me about her?  Or wait – let me guess, you never even figured out you liked her?”

“I never asked who out?”

“You know, the one you always talk about!” Rei feels himself going red at Rie’s words.  _He couldn’t mean_ …  “Nagisa!  That’s her name!”

Rei can feel his face go beet read as his brother stares at him questioningly.

He tries to come up with an answer – how does he tell his brother that Nagisa was simply his friend, and, more importantly, _male_ – when a voice cuts through his thinking and makes everything even worse.

“Rei-chan!”  None other than Nagisa himself says, coming up to the two boys.  “They didn’t have strawberry flavor!  Can you believe it!  I went all the way there for nothing…”  Nagisa’s pout only lasts a few seconds, however, because he spots Rie.  “Oh!  You must be Rie-chan!  You and Rei-chan look exactly alike!  Only, you don’t have glasses.  Do you have contacts, though?  I bet you two could pass off as twins if you had glasses like Rei’s!”

His brother looks confused with the bombardment of Nagisa, but quickly regains composure.  “Yes, I’m Rei’s brother.  Who are you?  Are you from his swim team?  Ah, but I thought it was only upperclassmen and a girl from his class on the team.”

Nagisa’s face falls, and he spins towards Rei, whose face is still, unbecomingly, bright red.  “Rei-chan!  You never told your brother about me!  And why did you tell him that Gou-chan was in our class!”  After pouting at Rei for a moment, he turns back to Rie.  “I can’t believe he never talked about me!  I’m practically his best friend!  If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t be on the swim team in the first place!”

Rei can see the pieces coming together in his brother’s head, and groans.  “Wait…You’re Nagisa?”

At Rie’s words, Nagisa’s face lights back up.  “Oh, so he did mention me!”

Rei can only grow a brighter red as his brother shoots him a pointed look and smiles at Nagisa.  “Oh, he more than mentioned you.  You came up a _lot_ in his emails.”

Nagisa throws his arms around Rei at this, yelling something along the lines of “Rei-chan does care!” while Rie smirks at Rei.

Rei can at that point only assume he’s in for hell during his brother’s visit.


End file.
